I write middle grade not only because I love to read it, but also because I love the idea of kids reading. I started reading at a very young age, and I was a voracious reader. My mom has an old picture of me in summer clothes, sitting on a tree stump, shielding my eyes from the sun so that I can read a book. I suspect she had told me “it’s nice out, go outside,” and I had done so, but not without my book!

Nowadays, I have a handful of nieces from my own family and Jeremy’s family, and I love knowing that I can pick out good books for them to read because I’ve read and loved them myself, in many cases. A couple of them are always happy when Aunt Dawn sends them books, because I haven’t missed on one yet. And I’m more than happy to send them loads of books, because I know they’ll read them!